TGP CuffClips

I also know I’m not alone in getting my cuffs caught in my chainring or rubbing up against my rear wheel. Misery loves company.

My friend Matt used to be a mechanic at one of our local bike shops. After each repair — like every good mechanic should — he’d test ride the bike to make sure that his labors were successful and that the bike worked properly.

Sometimes, depending on the bike and depending on his clothing choice, he’d clip a clothespin on his cuff to keep his pants out of the chain — kind of a portable chain guard.

I know there are lots of solutions to this pants-in-the-chainring problem (velcro straps, chain guards, wheel skirts, even the strategic and fashionable tuck-and-roll method), but over the course of the last few years, I’ve discovered that a well-placed clothespin or two is the quickest and easiest fix available.

Quick and easy is great except for one thing: The world is overrun with brittle, weak clothes pins.

So, looking around a little bit, I was able to find some quality, US-made versions of this formerly ubiquitous domestic tool. Some are made from ash, some are made from maple, and they all come with a super strong spring that lasts for ever and will not let go of what it’s holding onto.

I also found someone (here in town!) to burn our logo onto the clothes pins. Nothing fancy, but it does make you smile when you see that little imprimatur.

Price-wise, TGP CuffClips are expensive. I’m kinda bummed on that part of the project. But function-wise and durability-wise, they’re cheaper than most of the other retail options out there.

Anyway, I made one CuffClip keep, Matt gets one CuffClip because it’s his idea, and the rest are for sale.

Again, I have to apologize for the cost. It’s silly. But if you have a few extra bucks and you’re one of those pants-wearing, bike-riding kind of people, these CuffClips are a simple, longterm solution to having your pants chewed up by your chainring or dirtied up and worn out by your rear wheel.